Equalizer for car-trucks



P. PARKE.

EQUALIZER FOR CAR TRUCKS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. I920.

L400,693, Patented Deg 20, 1921 FIG- 2- INVENTOR= PETER PARKE EY W/W W ATTYS.

PATENT PETER PARKE, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOE TO THE PULLMAN COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINQIS. A l'lGRPGE-ATION 0F ILLINDIS.

EQUALIZER FOB. CAB-TRUCKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. so, 192

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, PARKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Equalizers for Car- 'lrucks, of which the following is a specification.

The aresent invention relates to car trucks of the ullman type and more especially to the construction of the equalizer bar and its associated parts whereby the removal and insertion of the equalizer springs is facilitated.

To overcome manifold disadvantages of old types of construction wherein the equalizer bar depended between the wheels to accommodate the springs in the depending portion of the bar and to give more ready access to the brakes used and their hangers, it was proposed by the Berg Patent No. 1,220,170 to use a straight equalizer bar with the springs disposed entirely above said bar and above a straight line connecting the tops of the journal boxes, and later in order to obviate any tendency to unstable equilib rium, it was proposed by the Parke and Knapp Patent No. 1,247,872 to seat the lower end of the equalizer spring within a recess of the equalizer bar below the horizontal line between the top of the journal boxes.

In, both the Berg and the Parke and Knapp constructions, as also other constructions developed before and since, much diff: culty has been experienced in disassociating the spring from its seat in the bar and wheel piece of the truck, it being necessary to practically disassemble the truck parts in order to insert and remove the spring in case of injury requiring replacement.

The principal purpose, therefore, of this present invention is the avoidance of the old type of depending bar with its disadvantages and the retention of the later type of bar shorn of incidental disadvantages growing out of an inaccessible spring; and having this purpose in mind, a construc tion is devised which leaves the brake shoes and hangers accessible for inspection, adjustment and replacement and at the same time insures the ready removal of the.

springs.

In order that the invention may be readily understood a preferred embodiment of the same is set forth in the accompanying drawing and in the following verbal description based thereon, it being understood that the invention is susceptible of embodiment in other and varied forms without departure from the essence of the invention or a ma terial sacrifice of its advantages, wherefore the drawing and-description are to be taken in an illustrative and not in an unnecessarily limiting sense.

in the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation, fragmentary in character, illustrating the invention as embodied in a sixwheel truck of the Pullman type;

Fig. 2 is a similar View in top plan partly in section;

3 is a detail view of the spring seat in side elevation; and

Fig. at is a detail plan of the spring seat.

As is customary in constructions of this general character, the truck is shown as equipped with a pair of truck bolsters 10, which support the load of the car body in the usual manner, each of these bolsters at its opposite ends being supported on leaf bolster springs 11, interposed between the truck bolsters 10 and the spring planks 12 carried in hangers 13 supported by and pivotally hung on the truck frame 1 1 at 15. This truck frame is illustrated as supplied with the usual pedestals 16 cooperating with the journal boxes 17 provided for the axles equipped with the car wheels 18.

Resting on the top of these journal boxes at each side of the truck are shown two substantially straight equalizer bars 19 which are advantageously made of greater depth and width immediately below the equalizer bar springs hereinafter referred to than at their ends bearing on the journal boxes.

The wheel piece 20 of the truck frame is provided with a downwardly opening recess or pocket 21 closed above by an integral or rigid portion of the structure, which pockets form an upper bearing seat for the equalizer bar springs 22 hearing upwardly against the wheel piece and downwardly upon the equalizer bar 19. The equalizer bar which may be forged or cast, is provided immediately below the pocket 21 with a removabl seat for the lower end of the spring 22 111 the manner following.

At that portion of its length, the equalizer bar is widened radially and provided with a vertical aperture 23 extending through the bar. From this aperture 2 5 slots 24 extend radially in line with the bar axis, which slots are open below but closed above by reason of the fact that they do not extend to the upper surface of the bar. The bar is provided with horizontal apertures 25 open to the two sides and cutting the slots 24.

The removable seat 26 comprises a central disk portion 27 and upstanding cars 28 apertured at 29.

The disk portion 27 of the spring seat is adapted to be positioned within the aperture 23 of the bar at the bottom of said aperture with the ears 28 disposed within the slots 24, with the apertures 29 of the ears in alinement with the apertures 25 of the bar, bolts 30 extending throughthe apertures 25 and 29 to hold the spring seat securely interlocked with the bar.

If it be desired to remove the spring 22, the wheel piece 20 of the truck is lifted by means of a jack merely enough to take the weight off the spring seat 26, whereupon the bolts 30 may be removed, the seat permitted to drop, and the spring removed from below. To insert a new spring, it is only necessary, while the wheel piece is supported by a jack, to insert the spring from below through the aperture 23 with its upper end in, the pocket 21, place the spring seat 26 beneath with its ears 28 in the slots 24, and to insert the bolts 30, whereupon the jack being removed the weight of the truck frame is transmitted through the spring to the lower seat which is now fixed in position relative to the equalizer bar.

I claim:

1. The combination with a truck frame,

' journal boxes, and wheels, of an equalizer bar spanning the space between adjacent boxes, and a spring disposed between the frame and bar, the lower bearingseat of the spring upon the bar being removable in a direction not necessitating an; approach of said seat toward the frame whereby to facilitate the insertion and removal of the spring without additionally stressing the same.

2. The combination with a truck frame, journal boxes, and wheels, of an equalizer bar spanning the space between adjacent boxes, and a spring disposed between the frame and bar, the lower bearing seat of the spring upon the bar being removable in a direction away from the frame to facilitate the insertion and removal of the spring without additionally stressing the same.

3. The combination with a truck frame, journal boxes, and wheels, of an equalizer bar spanning the space between adjacent boxes, and a spring disposed between the frame and bar, said bar having a vertical aperture to receive the lower end of the spring, and a spring abutment removably disposed within the aperture whereby to facilitate the insertion and removal of the spring from below.

4. The combination with a truck frame, journal boxes, and wheels, of an equalizer bar spanning the space between adjacent boxes, and a spring disposed between the frame and bar, said bar having a vertical aperture with radial slots, a spring seat having radially extending ears accommodated within the slots, and bolts transfixing the bar and ears whereby the spring seat may be disassociated from the bar to facilitate the insertion and removal of the spring from below. i

5. The combination with a truck frame including a wheel piece, journal boxes, and wheels, of a substantially straight equalizer bar spanning the space between and bearing with its ends upon adjacent boxes, and a spring disposed between the frame and bar with its lower end bearing upon the latter below the horizontal plane of the bearing of the bar on the boxes, said bar having a vertical aperture to receive the lower end of the spring with radially. extending slots, a spring seat having radially extending ears removably accommodated within the slots, and bolts translixing the bar and ears, whereby the spring seat may be disassociated from the bar to facilitate the insertion and removal of the spring from below.

In witness whereof, .I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PETER. PARKE. 

